Valiance
by Dr-Lemona
Summary: The five times Suzushiro Haruka refused to back down. AU, Present Day.
1. Lion-hearted

A/N:

Hello, Author here. I wanted to go into a rare pairing with a short (around 5 chapters) series.

Please enjoy.

Mai-Hime belongs to Sunrise

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**Part 1: Lion-hearted**

They were both children when they first met.

It was a courtesy to meet, after all. Their fathers were in the middle of negotiating a lucrative deal with one another, and it was only natural to meet with one another to iron out the final details. The august name of Fujino, coupled with the fresh face of Suzushiro, would hopefully combine to create a formidable partnership.

Haruka's strongest memory of Kyoto was the Fujino estate, an old clan mansion that sprawled itself out on acres of meticulous gardens and quaint architecture. It was early in spring, then, and a great many things were starting to bloom. The wisteria blossoms were coming in, brief spots of violet that mirrored the shade of Haruka's eyes. She stared at the latticed vines, fascinated. There were so many beautiful things at the estate, from the various household workers to the weather, even. It was perfection.

She took to wandering the estate during the week-long visit while her father left on various meetings every so often. One of her travels took her to a building set apart from the main house. She had heard noises from the building before, but today was the day she would discover just what it was. She milled around outside, waiting.

The tatami mats reverberated with the shock of someone being tossed onto them, catching Haruka's attention. She poked her head in. It was some sort of martial arts practice, she knew that much. She was a proud practitioner of karate, after all. She stared, fascinated, at the training exercise. It was something she had never seen before. Tossing, and throwing. Circular movements. Constant movements turning into violent conclusions.

It was a private practice, for there was only one student. She was young, about Haruka's age. With a frown she recalled her father mentioning that his new business partner had a daughter around her age but she had yet to meet this child until now. The girl in question fell onto the mats again, this time on her shoulder. Haruka winced in sympathy, but the girl did not utter a sound. She quietly rolled herself up to a standing position as her instructor circled around her, eyes sharp as a hawk.

"Again."

The instructor, a grown man easily more than twice the height of the girl, darted forward with a loose punch. The girl tensed, shooting her arm out to connect with the punch. She closed her tiny fingers into a grip, pulling with the punch's push and turning her body. The instructor let himself be carried with the momentum of his punch and at first Haruka wondered if he would let himself fall. He pulled his weight back at the last second and the girl flinched, losing part of her grip. The reversal threw the girl on her back and the instructor tutted, walking over to the girl.

"You need to commit before you decide to throw," he said, failing to offer the girl a hand.

Haruka bristled. Grown men shouldn't be beating up children. The girl offered a dizzy nod before she struggled back onto her feet. She swayed, once, and dropped to a knee, her eyes on the floor.

"Hey!"

Both the instructor and the girl looked towards the open doors. Haruka kicked off her shoes and stomped her way onto the tatami mats, marching straight towards the instructor. The man quirked an eyebrow as Haruka squared her shoulders, attempting to make herself look bigger than her seven-year-old self.

"Pick on someone your own size!"

She accentuated her challenge by dropping back into a fighting stance, her hands up and ready. The instructor studied her stance, his lips cracking into a smile.

"Ah, a Karate practitioner? Very well." He glanced over at the other girl. "Take a break, Shizuru. It might do you some good to watch."

So Shizuru was the girl's name, Haruka mused. The girl in question nodded and shuffled to the edge of the mats, kneeling down and pressing her hands against her lap. Haruka focused her attention on the man who simply stood and watched her. She drove forward with a straight punch that he simply avoided by stepping to the side. With a grunt she followed with a roundhouse kick, hoping to catch him with the turning motion. He gently slapped her foot down and away. She growled, chasing him with a flurry of punches and kicks that he simply avoided or slapped away.

Five minutes later there was no progress on her noble goal. Haruka panted, trying to keep her hands up. She couldn't give up. There was no way she was going to let this jerk keep slapping her around. He studied her with an intensity to his gaze that only made her frown back. She brandished her fists, letting him know she was ready. Then he smiled.

"Very good. I will concede."

He inclined his head in a soft bow.

"Oh!"

Haruka abruptly dropped her stance, remembering her manners. She straightened and let her fists fall to her sides as she bowed stiffly.

"Osu."

The man laughed, then, a clear bell-like laugh that Haruka wasn't sure just how to respond to.

"Did you see that, Shizuru? Never once did she back down. See, you need to commit."

"Yes, father."

Haruka blinked. The instructor was the girl's father? The instructor nodded as he looked at Haruka.

"You must be Suzushiro's daughter. Pleased to meet you. I am Fujino Shigeru."

Haruka gaped, realizing that she had attempted to assault the patriarch of the Fujino family. Then she remembered the girl sitting on the sidelines, more importantly remembering the defeated expression on her face. Maple-red eyes stared at an invisible, fixed point at the wall, refusing to meet Haruka's questioning gaze. Haruka gave another stiff bow towards the man in front of her.

"I apologize for intruding!"

Fujino laughed once more.

"I don't mind. In fact I believe the lesson is over for today." He glanced over at his daughter. "Shizuru, would you mind showing Suzushiro-han the way back? I need to get ready for a meeting."

Shizuru nodded silently, picking herself up. Haruka wordlessly fell in line as Shizuru walked out of the dojo. As they walked Haruka could see an ugly mark poking from the collar of Shizuru's uniform; the beginnings of a nasty bruise.

"You should get that checked."

Shizuru paused, glancing at Haruka questioningly. Haruka rubbed her own neck with a small frown and Shizuru understood. She shrugged, wincing slightly.

"Ah. It's fine."

Shizuru continued to walk, making her way back to the main house with Haruka in tow. Haruka soon forgot her concerns as she stared out into the expansive garden they were trudging through.

"… Why did you do that?"

Haruka blinked, looking up from one of the many flowers

"Do what?"

Shizuru's brow dipped.

"Why did you step in?"

Her voice was calm, already adept at masking what she truly felt. Haruka heard nothing else as she crossed her arms across her chest and snorted.

"Grown men shouldn't beat up kids!" Haruka frowned. "Of course, I didn't know that it was a lesson. But it was too lard! You didn't need to be tossed around like that!"

Shizuru digested the exclamation in silence, her brow quirking.

"… Lard?"

"What?"

"Lard. That's what you said."

Haruka went slightly red in the face. Her father had always told her to watch it when she spoke. Certain words tended to get twisted even though they sounded just fine in Haruka's head. She roughly shook her head, unable to look up at Shizuru's unnerving stare.

"I did no such thing."

Something flickered in Shizuru's eyes as she took in the stubborn denial. Haruka could feel herself growing angrier while under the scrutiny.

"A-And what if I did, anyway? What, are you going to make fun of me?" Haruka snorted. "At least I didn't get thrown around! You can't use me as your escape goat."

Shizuru's words died on her lips and she pursed them shut, turning swiftly on her heel. Haruka knew she had done something wrong, again. Malapropisms (that word was so hard!) were one thing, her father had told her, but she also needed to watch her temper and not jump to conclusions so quickly. She needed to stop being so boisterous, to stop solving problems with her fists. She groaned and rubbed the back of her neck. So many rules.

She jogged up to Shizuru who had been keeping a brisk pace.

"H-Hey!"

Shizuru stopped, her shoulders tense.

"It's fine, Suzushiro-han. You don't need to say anything else."

Haruka bit her lip.

"Haruka!"

Shizuru's uniform made a noise as she shifted.

"… What?"

"My name. It's Haruka."

Shizuru turned her head to look over her uninjured shoulder.

"Haruka-han, then."

Her pronunciation was so precise, so impeccable. Haruka's name sounded like something beautiful when she said it in her Kyoto-accent. Shizuru continued to walk a bit more slowly this time. Haruka took in a deep breath. She wasn't sure just what was wrong with this girl. She was a little weird. But Haruka was okay with that.

Maybe, she thought to herself as she walked behind Shizuru, maybe this girl could be a friend. She wouldn't give up on making a friend. Her schoolmates usually screamed in terror whenever she approached them. This girl had done nothing of the sort. It was a good thing, right? Haruka nodded to herself, clapping her hands with her cheeks.

"… Something wrong?"

"N-nothing!" Haruka rubbed her cheeks. She had slapped herself harder than she thought. "L-lead the way, Fujino-san!"

"Oh." Shizuru offered Haruka a soft nod, a shy smile on her lips. "You may call me Shizuru, if you'd like."

Yes, Haruka thought, maybe this would turn out well.

It was their first meeting, and her first promise.

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A/N:

Thank you for reading.


	2. Resolution

A/N:

Hello, Author here. Thank you, kind readers, for reviewing and following this as well as my other works.

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**Part 2: Resolution**

The deal between Suzushiro and Fujino was a long and arduous one. Fujino's board of directors had dragged their heels over it, protesting the need to bring Suzushiro's fledgling construction company on board. Fujino heard none of it, steadily pressing on with the deal. They were getting so much more than just construction workers, Fujino had argued. They were getting Suzushiro, a behemoth of a man who looked like a bull but spoke like a gentleman. He was brilliant and not adverse to taking risks, a man of virtuous character. Fujino needed that. So he wrestled and wrangled, sweet-talked and threatened.

Finally, after five years, the negotiations were complete.

The signing of the partnership took place in the island community of Fuuka, where Suzushiro had built his initial company. He had funneled his resources in several buildings in the area including an Academy. It was state of the art, and very impressive. The only problem was, there were no students of import who would think about attending. It required a ferry ride, after all, and most students would be required to leave their families for the duration of their secondary education. Fujino had provided a tacit solution to this dilemma when he announced that his daughter would be attending Fuuka Academy after elementary school. The requests to attend subsequently quadrupled after that announcement.

Shizuru stared out into the empty ocean, squinting against the sea spray as it misted over her. The ferry would be docking in an hour, and she would then be introduced to her new home. A tiny feeling of nervousness settled in the pit of her stomach. She would be fine, her father had told her. He was already at Fuuka, meeting and greeting with the rest of his board and Suzushiro.

"Fujino-sama, I brought you some tea!"

She turned, registering the squeak that sounded off next to her as one of the many prospective middle-schoolers who also were on the ferry. They were the same year in school, yet everyone knew Fujino Shizuru. Everyone knew, she reminded herself, and she fixed her lips into a polite smile.

"Thank you."

The girl was a few seconds from fainting in embarrassed delight as Shizuru deftly picked up the can of tea from her grasp. It was already the third time today that she had been approached by some admirer from afar. She knew it was harmless, for the most part. Shizuru gave another empty smile that the girl took as gratitude, and she hastily scurried away; no doubt running straight for her friends to brag about having interacted with Shizuru.

Shizuru sighed, popping open the tab of the can and taking a sip. She squinted, once more. The nervous feeling flew back into her heart. She knew the first thing she had to do after getting situated was to go to the Suzushiro offices and introduce herself. She wondered if she would see Haruka. She wondered if the loud-mouthed, brash girl had changed any.

A fond smile grew on her lips. She had seen the girl at least once a year during Suzushiro's visits to Kyoto. For a full week, they would shirk off whatever pretense of formality and gone out to play like any pair of friends would. Friends. Her smile widened as she thought about it.

The ferry began its disembarkation after being pulled to shore. Shizuru had sent for most of her things to be mailed over, so she carried just a single suitcase as she carefully made her way out. The sun was shining high on a cold spring day and a sudden gust of wind chattered her teeth unexpectedly. A crowd was building as friends reconnected with those already on the island, and the noise of the port steadily grew. She paused, trying to get rid of the feeling of the ground rocking beneath her feet. When she looked up, however, the feeling faded away.

A pair of bright violet eyes flashed in recognition. She knew those eyes. The tall girl who owned those eyes began a full march towards Shizuru, not bothering to stop or side-step anyone in her way. Of course, those in her way quickly scattered as they saw the girl. Shizuru's lips quirked to a small smile.

"Haruka-han."

Haruka stopped in front of her, a small frown already on her face. Then it straightened, then it curved upwards into a relaxed smile.

"Shizuru."

Shizuru felt a curious weight lift from her chest as she viewed Haruka's smile. Haruka took the suitcase from Shizuru's hand, easily hefting its weight.

"C'mon, let's go. We've got a lot to blue!"

Shizuru opened her mouth to correct her, only to hear a tiny voice from Haruka's left pipe in.

"D-do, Haruka-chan!"

Shizuru's eyes narrowed just enough to look like the sun was bothering her. She took in the mousey girl to Haruka's left, a scrawny little thing with short brown hair and wide green eyes behind glasses. The girl looked at Shizuru and immediately her eyes shot down to the ground as her hands fidgeted nervously in front of her.

"Yes, yes, I know," Haruka said impatiently. She cracked a small smile and gave a shrug. "C'mon, now."

Haruka began to walk, carrying Shizuru's suitcase with comfortable ease. Shizuru fell in beside her, noticing the girl had yet to follow them.

"Ara, is your friend not coming with?"

"Huh? Oh!" Haruka stopped and looked over her shoulder. "You too, Yukino."

The girl in question stammered an apology while she struggled to catch up. Shizuru's lips twitched. It seemed she wasn't the only one who had admirers. She wondered if Haruka knew, or if she was still so singularly focused on whatever was in front of her.

Their walk to the Suzushiro offices was a mild and pleasant one despite the unexpected cold. Shizuru politely listened with half an ear to whatever chatter Haruka and the other girl—Yukino, she reminded herself—had managed to drum up. She offered several platitudes and remembered to laugh at the correct times, but she steeled herself as they entered the offices.

Her father was at the front lobby already, his custom suit crisp and without wrinkles. Calculating eyes swept over the three who just entered, and a smile that did not quite reach his eyes remained fixed on his face. She hated it, but never thought to talk about it. She imagined certain things had changed about herself, too, as the years grew longer and their time together grew leaner.

"There you are. We're about to start."

With a polite bow Yukino excused herself, scurrying away before Haruka could say much of anything. With a frown and a shrug she set Shizuru's suitcase down and led the two to a conference room where Shizuru figured the Suzushiro patriarch would be.

The meeting was predictable, merely a formality. The two patriarchs reviewed a slim stack of papers and made a great show of uncapping pens and signing the lines. They stamped the papers with family seals, and once the red ink dried they rummaged through a small cabinet by the conference table. Out came a half-filled bottle of scotch and two glasses, which announced the more informal portion of their negotiations.

Shizuru jumped to her feet, gracefully pouring out Suzushiro's glass. Her father looked on approvingly, then teasingly waved his empty glass in Haruka's direction. She rolled her eyes and he hooted in laughter that never quite sounded genuine despite being a good mimicry of it.

"Haruka!" Suzushiro bellowed, catching his daughter unaware. "Pour the man a glass! We've sealed the contract of the century, after all. Fujino and Suzushiro, together in business!"

Haruka reluctantly trudged over and took the bottle of scotch from Shizuru's hands.

"You know, I imagine if one of us had a son we'd be pairing them off by now," Fujino murmured, his smile stuck on his face.

Haruka nearly spilled the entire bottle on Fujino's expensive suit. Her father blinked, once, twice, then erupted into uproarious laughter, echoed closely by Fujino. Shizuru made no noise.

"That would be the thing to do, wouldn't it?" Suzushiro said, wiping a tear from his eye. "After all, I am in your debt. We couldn't have done any of this without you."

Maybe the words were meant to be in jest. Haruka bristled at them. She wasn't a commodity. Her anger deepened as she looked over towards Shizuru and saw the empty smile fixed on her lips. Haruka took her time to fill Fujino's glass, then set the bottle down and marched promptly out of the conference room. The two patriarchs paid her no heed, and continued to drink even as Shizuru slipped away as well.

Shizuru squinted. The sun was about to set, and rays of light streamed through the windows.

"Well, I guess that's it."

Haruka's blunt voice echoed in Shizuru's ears and she turned, seeing the girl staring out of the windows.

"Congratulations, Haruka-han."

She went through the motions, remembering her cues. But Haruka fixed her with a cold gaze, suddenly, and she faltered in her mental list. She wanted to ask what was wrong. Did she do something wrong?

"Save it, Fujino."

Shizuru frowned. Did she say something wrong? Perhaps she did. She racked her brain, wondering where she had her misstep.

"While I'm thankful that the deal went through for Father's sake, I'm not going to be underneath you."

Now, Shizuru knew the sentence was grammatically correct. But something in Haruka's words just sounded stilted, jerky. Haruka crossed her arms, still staring out of the windows.

"You must have thought I was so stupid, thinking we could be friends."

Shizuru wanted to say that it wasn't true, that Haruka had jumped to a wild conclusion. Something gripped her heart, tearing and pulling in a cruel twist that left her speechless. Of course Haruka would think that she was being pushed down, she thought. For all intents and purposes, the Suzushiro family had now been elevated to upper class society by the grace and good will of her family name. Of course others would think that Suzushiro Haruka should be eternally grateful to Fujino Shizuru. She felt sick to her stomach.

"From now on, you and I are rivals. Our respective companies may be friends, but I refuse to be less than number one."

With that, Haruka stalked off, leaving a confused Shizuru. She felt something unlatch itself from her chest. Her thoughts wandered, settling on the memory where, only a few hours before, the girl smiled at her with no pretense. Friends. They were friends. Shizuru stared at the carpet beneath her feet. Rivals, now. This was how it would be.

"Oh, Shizuru? Is everything alright?"

She looked up at her father. He still tried, on occasion, but Shizuru was beyond that now. She gave him an empty smile, remembering her cues once more.

"Everything is alright, Father."

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A/N:

Thank you for reading.


	3. Heart

A/N:

Hello, Author here. One small announcement: I am taking a small break from my other story Jet Stream. I had what I once thought was a decent outline for it, but a few loose ends are coming up that I can't find a solution to just yet. Therefore I will be finishing this little story first.

As always, I hope you enjoy.

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**Part 3: Heart**

Haruka crumpled yet another empty plastic wrapper, balling it up and throwing it in the trash. She chewed her curry-bread vigorously.

Damn that Fujino.

Ever since she showed up at Fuuka, she had been consistently undermining Haruka's plans to be number one. That air-headed hippie barely had to lift a finger to do anything, yet the Academy—that her father built, so really she felt she should get _some_ recognition—received so many donations that they were beginning to run out of things to spend money on.

She groaned as she remembered her current loss of face that had involved the Fujino heiress. Class elections had come up and she was pumped, determined to grab the student council presidency for her last year at school. Instead, a flash of Shizuru's smile won her the coveted student council presidency, while Haruka's months-long campaign garnered a measly handful of votes. For some reason Shizuru had decided to rub it in even further by requesting that there be a disciplinary committee installed. The Academy obliged by installing Haruka as the director of this new committee. She couldn't think of a worse punishment, having to sit in a classroom with Shizuru.

So, there she was, eating her second curry-bread and chomping her frustrations away. They were to meet with their graduating counterparts aside from Haruka, who was simply there to eat lunch and look important. She growled, chewing her lunch vigorously. She hated feeling useless.

At least there was some reprieve from her bad mood when the doors opened to reveal the new student council secretary. Yukino bowed her head hastily as she scurried to a seat beside Haruka who in turn offered her a smile in greeting. Yukino in turn blushed and smiled, fiddling with the hem of her middle school uniform. Haruka blinked. Was she sick? Yukino wasn't the strongest individual, she knew. But she was beginning to get worried. It had been a rough winter with snow still blanketing Fuuka during the month of February.

"Ah, Haruka-chan," Yukino murmured. "You're early today."

"No delinquents to clap around," Haruka muttered, taking another bite of her lunch.

"… Slap?"

"Yes, I said that."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence as Yukino bustled to make tea and Haruka wiped crumbs off her desk. The doors opened again, revealing their newly-elected President and Vice President. Haruka squinted at the handsome Vice President, Kanzaki Reito. Good looks, good name, plenty of admirers. Really, it'd be a scandal if Reito remained single for much longer.

Then her gaze lingered, for a moment, on Fujino Shizuru. She had grown taller, now, just enough to edge Haruka out. The combination of light-brown hair and maple-red eyes caused much of the school's population to go into a frenzy, something that Haruka would predict would give her quite a lot to do next year. She rolled her eyes—it was yet another reason why Shizuru annoyed her. The girl did nothing productive and invited everything chaotic.

Shizuru's gaze also lingered a little on Haruka and the familiar empty smile touched her lips. Their eyes locked for a second. Haruka broke the contact first, her brow tensing as she snapped her gaze away from Shizuru and onto the chalkboard. Shizuru's blithe smile remained on her face as if painted on. Before Haruka could say anything the doors opened for a third time, this time allowing in the current Student Council body.

The meeting went quickly. Shizuru and Reito were the very picture of confidence, and there was little to discuss other than certain policy changes. Yukino mustered up a brave face and served good tea, so Haruka was scarcely worried. When the meeting broke, they went their separate ways save for Yukino and Haruka.

"… Can we walk to the gardens?"

Haruka gathered her things and latched her school bag while she thought.

"Sure, let's go."

The walk was subdued, partly due to the bitter cold of the outdoors. Haruka's eyes darted this way and that, taking in the students who were milling about outside. Some were carrying small bags of treats, others a few folded notes. A few were eating candies and chocolates on benches, huddling against each other for warmth. She frowned, suddenly remembering the date.

It was laughable, thinking about it. She had long sworn off sentimental holidays. After all, she really didn't have anyone to share them with. She could count on her hand the amount of friends she had. One finger, even. And she felt nothing but a fierce sense of protectiveness when it came to Yukino. That didn't do well with feelings. Indeed, no one ever elicited any strong feelings from Haruka except for her current object of aggravation. Shizuru had that annoying habit of staying under her skin more often than any other annoyance.

Maybe that counted?

Her thoughts stilled as they finally made it to the gardens. Light brown hair blew at a steady stream and Haruka recognized it immediately. What was Fujino doing here? She ignored Yukino's mild protest and marched forward, ready to make her presence known when something caused her to stop.

Shizuru was staring at a girl with long navy-blue hair who was standing over a few flowers. Haruka noted the uniform, a middle school uniform. The girl's hand hovered over one of the blossoms that had managed to bloom despite the frigid temperature. With an angry sigh her hand closed into a fist, crushing the flower. Haruka's brow tensed and she renewed her march, this time towards the girl. Those flowers weren't cheap, and the destruction of school property was high on the list of things Haruka didn't stand for.

Haruka wasn't sure why she stopped the second time. It wasn't because of Yukino. The girl had already given up on steering Haruka from her intended course. Instead, Haruka blinked, looking out towards Shizuru. There was no empty smile on her face or air-headed look to her eyes. She stared out, her mask undone, her eyes darkened in concern. Haruka blinked once more as she followed the target of Shizuru's wistful gaze. The girl crushing the flowers? What did she have to do with Fujino staring off like that?

Shizuru took one step forward, then another. Soon her steps took her to the girl, who looked up when she approached. Haruka failed to hear any of their conversation, but something gripped her as she saw Shizuru's lips move.

A smile.

A real smile.

Haruka remembered those. The scent and color of wisteria blossoms raced back into her mind and she felt a curious tingling in her throat. She cleared her throat, attempting to swallow the feeling and come back to something more familiar. Anger. They were rivals. Yes, rivals. She couldn't forget that, but she couldn't help but feel a small smile of her own on her lips.

"H-Haruka-chan?"

Haruka blinked, now realizing that, indeed, she was not alone. She turned, seeing Yukino standing beside her.

"Hm? What is it?"

Years of being around the older girl still could not prepare Yukino for the full weight of Haruka's intensity. Indeed, Haruka could not name a single person who could bear it, even after all these years.

Except, she thought, Fujino Shizuru.

"I… I was wondering if you'd like these."

Yukino rummaged in her bag, shuffling a few things around until she found it. A small bag, blue, wrapped with a simple red ribbon. Haruka knew what the date was. Yukino's face bloomed an almost glowing shade of red, reminding Haruka of a burner on an electronic stove.

They were friends, yes. Friends also exchanged chocolates on Valentine's Day. Yes, Haruka was sure of it.

"Oh! Thanks, Yukino."

She took the package from Yukino and opened it, popping one piece in her mouth. It melted as she continued to gaze out towards Shizuru and the other girl, the new girl. Haruka didn't trust her. She had a hunch about these sorts of things. Yet… she felt something strange pull at her as she observed Shizuru. The smile had since faded away, but the memory of it burned. She wondered what the feeling was.

Well, she mused to herself. She needed to find out. It was annoying, pulling at her and making her forget, even momentarily, her intense dislike of Fujino. Haruka wasn't sure how she felt about that. On one hand, it distracted her from her goal of besting Fujino Shizuru and coming out on top. On the other hand, she was pleasantly surprised at seeing that smile again.

It was too confusing.

She needed to find out more.

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A/N:

Thank you for reading.


	4. Mettle

A/N:

Hello, Author here. I'm sorry about the wait. I was attending a job interview earlier in the week and am -hopefully- awaiting a call back. As always I appreciate your continued reading and reviewing.

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**4\. Mettle**

It had taken her some time, but Haruka's observation of one Kuga Natsuki was fairly thorough and she had months of field experience to back it up. Kuga was a delinquent, driving around on her motorcycle and barely making it to class on time, if at all. She skirted authority and had, on occasion, tussled with Haruka herself whenever she managed to catch her out of class. The nerve.

Haruka had hoped that the girl would find herself on a suspension list, or better yet, expelled, but a check of her attendance records told another story. Kuga Natsuki had all of her absences excused by one Fujino Shizuru, the air-headed queen of Fuuka Academy. It was enough to make Haruka's skin crawl in barely-constrained anger. The two were perfect for each other, she mused angrily. The Delinquency Baron and Queen Airhead, making Haruka's life difficult one day at a time.

Except, she thought, they weren't together. That would have been ten times worse, at least. But no. Kuga Natsuki had been avoiding Fujino lately, and it seemed only Haruka had noticed the change. She prided herself in her observational skills. It was, after all, part of her goal to beat Shizuru.

It was well into her senior year at Fuuka Academy, and Haruka normally had her hands full dealing with all sorts of strange delinquents. She was currently wrapping up her report on a panty-stealing incident in the girls' dorms when she heard the door to the Student Council office open. In walked one of the members of Kendo Club, a first-year student by the name of Tate Yuuichi. She put down her pen and fixed him with a glare, causing him to back away slowly.

"Yes? What do you want?"

"Uh.. I uh… I was wondering if Kaichou-san was around?"

Haruka snorted. Of course. No one ever went to see her on their own accord. Ninety-percent of the time, Shizuru was the object of their search. That was fine. She did have some function to the school, however little she contributed to it.

"Obviously, she isn't here right now."

"Ara, Tate-han?"

Haruka pinched the bridge of her nose as Yuuichi turned, a smile on his face.

"Hello, Kaichou-san."

Shizuru gave him a soft nod as she walked into the room, setting her bag down on her chair. Haruka watched her body language, noting that she had yet to sit. She wasn't relaxed, right now. Her lips were trained in a small smile but it was fixed, as if it took effort to keep it there. She had placed a hand on the back of her chair, and Haruka could see it grip the wood. Haruka gazed back towards the boy who had remained blissfully unaware.

"I wanted to make sure if you were still free tomorrow evening to help me with some kendo practice?" Yuuichi asked, his voice hopeful.

"Oh… Well, yes, I believe I am free," Shizuru replied, slightly confused.

Yuuichi nodded, a bright smile on his face. Haruka returned to her paperwork, just barely noticing the relieved look in Shizuru's eyes.

"I was wondering if you had seen Kuga-san around?"

Shizuru took in a breath. Normally, breathing wasn't something to notice, but Haruka could see the discomfort return to her face.

"Ara, no, I haven't."

"I thought you would know, seeing as the two of you are friends."

Haruka felt a strange pull at that term. Friends. Shizuru plastered that fake smile on her lips for just a little longer.

"I can't say I've spoken to her today. Maybe Tokiha-han would know?"

Yuuichi smiled, bidding his farewells as he hurried out of the Council room. Haruka watched him go, a thoughtful frown on her face.

"… I suppose you are satisfied, watching this display?"

Shizuru's words sounded dead, blunt. Haruka stacked her paperwork neatly in front of her. Normally, they had a little set of steps whenever Kuga Natsuki was mentioned. Haruka would have sputtered. Yelled something about it not being any of her business. Chastised Shizuru, even. Such behavior was unbecoming. Et cetera. But Haruka figured that it was enough.

"Why would I be? None of my busy nets," Haruka grumbled, catching Shizuru's attention.

A mirthless laugh sounded from Shizuru's lips.

"Of course you'd say that." She jerked her chin towards the doors. "Seems like he's worth it."

"Two friends chasing the same toy." Haruka snorted. "Like that's going to end swell."

They lapsed into an awkward silence, each finding that they had spoken to each other more than they had in recent months.

"… How is Kikukawa-han? She seems a little… scarce, lately."

Haruka snorted in surprise. Shizuru, for whatever reason, never really extended the same blank smiles and air-headedness towards Yukino. Indeed, she almost looked mildly annoyed whenever Yukino was around.

Haruka's eyes dimmed. Yukino was such a soft soul. She hadn't meant to be so cruel. But, she had made her promise to be the one on top all those years ago, and she couldn't let herself get distracted. She had never seen Yukino so emotional when she had explained why she couldn't just let it go.

"_You just sound… almost obsessed."_

Of course she sounded obsessed, Haruka mused. She had to work twice as hard to achieve a mere ten-percent of what Shizuru managed to do without lifting a finger. A part of her wondered if she would have welcomed a reprieve. She wondered if Yukino could be strong enough to pull her away from this increasingly-impossible promise. But she couldn't, and she didn't, and now Haruka spent the majority of her time going over paperwork by herself. Friendless. Again.

Well, at least she had Shizuru, in some strange way. Misery really seemed to love company. She rubbed her cheek with a confounded expression on her face.

"Ara, Haruka-han. Are you thinking of a special someone?"

Shizuru's teasing words elicited an annoyed grunt.

"That'd be my business, wouldn't it? Yukino's busy… with pool stuff."

"… School?"

Haruka never bothered to dismiss the correction, causing Shizuru to frown.

"Really, Haruka-han. You can be so hard-headed at times."

Haruka crossed her arms, failing to fall for the obvious bait. Shizuru continued to frown, and she finally left Haruka alone in the classroom once more.

A minor victory.

She carried this victory like an imaginary gold medal, until next evening had melted it into chaos. Haruka was in the middle of eating dinner, ready to dive into her textbooks. She knew the material and she could feel the number one spot in her veins. This time, definitely this time, she would completely beat Fujino Shizuru at something.

Her gleeful thoughts were interrupted quite rudely by several students who ran by her open window. Excited chatter drifted up to her ears and she frowned, about to slap the window shut so she could concentrate.

"—at the Kendo dojo—"

"—Kaichou and someone—"

Haruka blinked, her hand hovering over the window.

"A fight!"

Now her attention was piqued.

"A fight," she muttered, eyes flashing.

"A FIGHT!"

She grabbed her jacket and shoved it on, sprinting out of the door at full force.

She made it across campus to the Kendo facilities in record time. Huffing, Haruka shoved students away from her, creating a path from the growing crowd that was starting to form.

"Hey, hey! Outta my hay!"

Students fell in line as they registered the formidable leader of the Disciplinary Committee. Haruka finally pushed her way to the dojo entrance. She could hear the clacking of wooden weapons against each other and she hurried, flinging her loafers off and running towards the main practice room.

The tatami reverberated beneath her feet as she slammed open the doors. Yuuichi skidded onto the ground, completely winded. He grit his teeth and stood, grabbing his shinai and lowering it in a ready position. Haruka looked beyond the panting boy and her eyes narrowed.

"Fujino!"

Shizuru spun her naginata behind her in a resting position. Her hair was up in a bun to keep it away from her neck and face, but she looked as if she was merely taking a walk in pleasant weather. Yuuichi, soaked in sweat, fared remarkably worse.

"Shizuru, you don't have to keep doing this!"

Haruka turned, spying the delinquent Kuga on the sidelines along with a small group of students. Haruka frowned. Why wasn't _she_ stepping in to stop this nonsense?

Shizuru's eyes flashed. Haruka was reminded instantly of a long-buried memory, of a time when a stern man with hawk-like eyes circled around his struggling daughter. Ready to dive in.

"Again."

Yuuichi shrugged himself back into gear, charging at Shizuru in a straight line. With a practiced flick of the wrist, the naginata came thundering down. A sharp crack echoed in the stillness when the pole-arm connected with the sword. Wood groaned against wood. Yuuichi grit his teeth, but Shizuru had already won this exchange. She took a step forward, bringing her weight in with the longer reach of her weapon. The shinai spun wildly out of Yuuichi's hands, flying towards a wall.

Something flashed in Shizuru's eyes as Yuuichi stared up at her with a forlorn expression on his face. She brought her weapon up in one smooth arc. Out the corner of her eye she could see Natsuki glaring. Would she stop in front of her? Hold her back?

The naginata was stopped abruptly from its fall by a pair of steely hands clapped on either side of the weapon's blade. Shizuru looked down. Natsuki was escorting Yuuichi away, her back already turned to Shizuru. Shizuru studied the hands still latched onto her weapon. Only one other person could have stopped that violent turn.

Haruka grit her teeth. This was a terrible idea. It was really something she had seen in a movie, once. She didn't even think it would work, honestly. Her arms were starting to shake, but she took a step back and swiped her arms down and to the left, dragging the naginata away from Shizuru's hands. The weapon slid onto the ground.

A hushed silence fell on the crowd inside and Haruka turned towards them.

"GET. OUT."

She didn't need to tell them twice.

Shizuru stared at the naginata as Haruka quietly took off her jacket. Her arms groaned with the effort, but she willed herself to stand tall.

"Fujino, that was too far. You shouldn't have done that."

Shizuru laughed bitterly.

"Oh? And here you are, ready to uphold the moral calm? Are you going to take me in?"

She fixed a level gaze towards Haruka. Her smile slid off, her eyes revealing a deep pain fixed within her. Haruka frowned but she could not let up, not just yet.

"I can't reprehend you, despite your oblivious loss of composure. What were you thinking?"

Shizuru appeared to digest her words, puzzling over them. As if by habit she looked to see if Yukino was nearby, realizing with a small sense of shock that they were now completely alone.

"… Well? What are you going to do, then?" Shizuru asked, a reedy sigh escaping her lips. She noticed Haruka's hands, which were still twitching from having to expend so much effort earlier. "Are you going to fight me?"

Haruka studied her for a hard moment. She remembered the little girl who fell on her shoulder and rolled herself back up to her feet. She remembered the lost look in her eye. Then she remembered the shy smile, and a pain shot through her heart. She took in a deep breath and sighed, squaring her shoulders.

"… If it comes to that. Then yes."

Of course. The Haruka that Shizuru knew was standing before her, the girl that she had met over ten years ago. She had stepped in once before, when Shizuru felt herself begin to lose composure. And now, again, here she was; coming in full circle and stopping her. Shizuru closed her eyes. It was almost comforting, in its own way.

"Very well."

* * *

A/N:

Thank you for reading.


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